Kevin R. Boyle

Kevin Boyle specializes in resolving large, high-profile plaintiffs cases by trial or settlement. Kevin represents a number of clients in a wide range of matters — from wrongful death to catastrophic personal injuries to victims of serious fraud. The common thread of all of Kevin’s cases is that he represents people who have been severely wronged by powerful entities, and he seeks to not only hold those entities financially responsible, but to force them to change their ways.

A few of Kevin’s notable cases are: Kevin represented two U.S. soldiers who were severely injured in a helicopter crash in Iraq in a case against the helicopter manufacturer, who asserted that it was immune from liability because it was a government contractor. Kevin obtained the largest known settlement in a case of this kind. Kevin was co-trial counsel in the highly publicized Dominguez v. City and County of San Francisco, which resulted in a record jury verdict for the wrongful death of a 4 year-old girl. San Francisco completely denied responsibility but the jury found it to be 100% responsible. That case was named one of the top 10 verdicts in America by numerous publications. In another groundbreaking case, Kevin represented journalists whose personal phone records were improperly examined in an illegal investigation ordered directly by the Board of Directors of the Hewlett Packard corporation. That case resolved in a confidential settlement that included monetary and non-monetary components. Kevin also represented numerous victims of the explosion of a neighborhood in San Bruno, California, caused by faulty gas pipes that were the responsibility of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). Kevin was involved in spearheading the effort that resulted in the court’s decision that the issue of punitive damages against PG&E would go to the jury. The resolution of the case involved both monetary and non-monetary components to prevent such a disaster from happening again. Kevin was co-trial counsel in a case where a U.S. military fighter jet crashed into a family home in a neighborhood in San Diego after the pilot had safely ejected. The jet had been maintained improperly. It is the largest known wrongful death verdict against the U.S. military.

Kevin Boyle has been named as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal. Kevin has been selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America by American Lawyer Media, and has been profiled as one of The Best Lawyers in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Times. Kevin Boyle is listed in Marquis Who’s Who in America, Marquis Who’s Who in American Law, and Marquis Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders. Mr. Boyle has been honored as Finalist for the Consumer Attorneys of California’s Trial Lawyer of the Year. Kevin has been selected as a Super Lawyer by California Law & Politics magazine numerous times. In the past, he was one of four lawyers profiled as a Rising Star by that same publication. Kevin also holds an A-V ranking from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest ranking a lawyer can attain in terms of ability and ethics.

Prior to co-founding Panish Shea & Boyle, Kevin served the country as law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the United States Supreme Court and, before that, to Judge Melvin T. Brunetti of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Kevin started practicing law on the defense side with the law firm Kirkland & Ellis before dedicating his career to helping plaintiffs.

After graduating Vanderbilt University, Kevin Boyle studied law at the University of Arizona. He finished law school first in his class, served as the Business Editor of the Arizona Law Review, and published an article concerning manufacturers’ duties to retrofit defective products before they cause further injury.

Kevin is a member of the Amicus Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Kevin is also on the Board of the Law College Association of the University of Arizona.

Kevin Boyle in the News:

The following is a list of some of the articles in which Kevin Boyle is featured: